Author: ford_aaron

THIS MONTH’S BIG IDEA: Counting  Dear Families:  One of our goals is improving our math instruction in order to increase the development of mathematical concepts in children.  According to the authors of The Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative, 2014), “Counting seems very […]

INFORMATION ABOUT KINDERGARTEN in 2016-2017: As your child enters Kindergarten, we want to make you aware of the Kindergarten programming options available for the upcoming school year. St. Vrain Valley School District offers the following Kindergarten program configurations at various schools: •       Traditional Half Day Classes (half days AM/PM, 5 days per week) •       Half […]

EMPATHY, as it RELATES TO STEM PROGRAMMING at SPARK! By Paige Gordon  The first step in the Design Thinking Process (source: Standford University Design School or “d.school”) is to develop Empathy. Designers often begin their process by gaining empathy for
their users. The goal of the Empathize phase is to discover gaps between what people do and
 what people say […]

It is already time to be thinking about school for next year—whether you have a child leaving Spark! Discovery Preschool to move on to kindergarten, if you have a child staying for another year, or if you have a additional child that is going to enroll. Returning Tuition-Based Families: For families who pay tuition with […]

Each year our staff, and staff from around SVVSD, participate in the Empty Bowls project to support the Carbon Valley Help Center. We painted bowls, which will be sold at a luncheon on November 21 from 11am – 2pm at Frederick High School. All proceeds support the help center. Here are some photos from the […]

This month we are focusing on developing the STEM Profile of CURIOSITY.  The STEM Profiles are essence of what we believe STEM programming promotes in the education of the whole child, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional, and social growth through the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).   At Spark! Discovery Preschool, we define […]

Tips on Have a Successful Parent/Teacher Conference Conferences are coming up in October! It’s an exciting time to participate in your child’s education as a partner with the teacher and school. Tip #1 – Think about what you want to find out in the conference by preparing some thoughts or questions such as:  How is […]